A little drama and splash of color are called for in a powder room

Got a tiny powder room? I've been in powder bathrooms that are too small to turn around in.

One that sticks out in my memory was in a client's town home; I'd swear that room didn't meet code requirements. Surely, it did not stand up to the Americans with Disabilities Act requirements, and I wondered how the woman's obese son could manage to use the room.

The basic concept of a powder bath is to supply a toilet and sink close to the public area of a house - the living room, family room, kitchen and dining areas. Often a powder bath is on the first floor of a multistoried house. In older homes, hall closets were converted into petite bathrooms to increase marketability and functionality.

In a sprawling floor plan, the half-bath often is included for practical reasons. The 1950s-style ranch floor plans often included a half-bath off the garage or back patio.

From the early 18th century, the description related to a closet-sized room where people would retire to have their wigs repowdered. During Victorian times, is was considered bad form to openly discuss using the bathroom or private bodily functions, and calling an indoor bathroom a "powder room" was more delicate.

Today, people still refer to the bathroom as the powder room. While we no longer wear wigs that require constant powdering, the convenience and utility of the small room remains. Our modern challenge is how to create roomy-feeling spaces.

I'm working on a small powder bath right now, and my first suggestion was to remove the towel bar that juts out. Take one step into the room, and your right elbow hits the towel bar. We will install one on the opposite wall instead. Next we removed the medicine cabinet mounted on the right wall of the vanity. The sink bowl is also positioned on the far right side of the room, so I've decided to center a mirror right over the sink.

Additionally, we are going to box in the 1980s-style soffit over the vanity and install three recessed down lights to replace the egg crate lens that conceals fluorescent tube lighting.

While these may seem like tiny changes, being able to walk right into the room without encountering any obstructions will be a boon.

So often it is the smallest detail that makes the biggest difference. The room pictured here enjoys an unusual window over the sink and the designer was brave enough to ignore that 98 percent of bathrooms feature a mirror over a sink. Generally, a powder bathroom is not the room where people are flossing and brushing teeth, applying makeup and shaving a bear!

For this distinctive little room, one can afford to break a few unwritten rules. Given that the powder is mainly for using a toilet and washing hands, there is a wide range of unusual treatments that can be applied.

In most cases, the room is so small that one can afford to buy a special wall covering or have a unique wall finish applied to the wall. A unique piece of furniture for the vanity is possible, along with a special mirror and other accessories.

Remember that most of your guests will eventually end up in this little part of your home; it represents an opportunity to express who you are in a public way. Drama, fun and a splash of color are welcome here.

• Christine Brun is a San Diego-based interior designer and the author of "Small Space Living." Send questions and comments to her by email at christinebrun@sbcglobal.net.

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